Official Site of The State of New Jersey

34:11-56a31. Establishment of maximum work week for certain health care facility employees

It is declared to be the public policy of this State to establish a maximum work week for certain hourly wage health care facility employees, beyond which the employees cannot be required to perform overtime work, in order to safeguard their health, efficiency, and general well-being as well as the health and general well-being of the persons to whom these employees provide services.

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34:11-56a32. Definitions relative to work hours for certain health care facility employees

As used in this act:

"Employee" means an individual employed by a health care facility who is involved in direct patient care activities or clinical services and who receives an hourly wage, but shall not include a physician.

"Employer" means an individual, partnership, association, corporation or person or group of persons acting directly or indirectly in the interest of a health care facility.

"Health care facility" means a health care facility licensed by the Department of Health and Senior Services pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.), a State or county psychiatric hospital, a State developmental center, or a health care service firm registered by the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety pursuant to P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.).

"On-call time" means time spent by an employee who is not currently working on the premises of the place of employment, but who is compensated for availability, or as a condition of employment has agreed to be available, to return to the premises of the place of employment on short notice if the need arises.

"Reasonable efforts" means that the employer shall: a. seek persons who volunteer to work extra time from all available qualified staff who are working at the time of the unforeseeable emergent circumstance; b. contact all qualified employees who have made themselves available to work extra time; c. seek the use of per diem staff; and d. seek personnel from a contracted temporary agency when such staff is permitted by law or regulation.

"Unforeseeable emergent circumstance" means an unpredictable or unavoidable occurrence at unscheduled intervals relating to health care delivery that requires immediate action.

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34:11-56a33. Excessive work shift contrary to public policy

The requirement that an employee of a health care facility accept work in excess of an agreed to, predetermined and regularly scheduled daily work shift, not to exceed 40 hours per week, except in the case of an unforeseeable emergent circumstance when the overtime is required only as a last resort and is not used to fill vacancies resulting from chronic short staffing and the employer has exhausted reasonable efforts to obtain staffing, is declared to be contrary to public policy and any such requirement contained in any contract, agreement or understanding executed or renewed after the effective date of this act shall be void.

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34:11-56a34. Health care facility employee work shift determined; exceptions voluntary

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, no health care facility shall require an employee to accept work in excess of an agreed to, predetermined and regularly scheduled daily work shift, not to exceed 40 hours per week.

(b) The acceptance by any employee of such work in excess of an agreed to, predetermined and regularly scheduled daily work shift, not to exceed 40 hours per week, shall be strictly voluntary and the refusal of any employee to accept such overtime work shall not be grounds for discrimination, dismissal, discharge or any other penalty or employment decision adverse to the employee.

(c) The provisions of this section shall not apply in the case of an unforeseeable emergent circumstance when: (1) the overtime is required only as a last resort and is not used to fill vacancies resulting from chronic short staffing, and (2) the employer has exhausted reasonable efforts to obtain staffing. In the event of such an unforeseeable emergent circumstance, the employer shall provide the employee with necessary time, up to a maximum of one hour, to arrange for the care of the employee's minor children or elderly or disabled family members.

The requirement that the employer shall exhaust reasonable efforts to obtain staffing shall not apply in the event of any declared national, State or municipal emergency or a disaster or other catastrophic event which substantially affects or increases the need for health care services.

(d) In the event that an employer requires an employee to work overtime pursuant to subsection c. of this section, the employer shall document in writing the reasonable efforts it has exhausted. The documentation shall be made available for review by the Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Labor.

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34:11-56a35. Violations, sanctions

An employer who violates the provisions of this act shall be subject to the sanctions provided by law for violations of the "New Jersey State Wage and Hour Law," P.L.1966, c.113 (C.34:11-56a et seq.).

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34:11-56a36. Construction, applicability of act

(a) The provisions of this act shall not be construed to impair or negate any employer-employee collective bargaining agreement or any other employer-employee contract in effect on the effective date of this act.

(b) The provisions of this act shall not apply to employees of assisted living facilities licensed by the Department of Health and Senior Services who are provided with room and board as a benefit of their employment and reside in the facility on a full-time basis.

(c) The provisions of this act shall not apply to on-call time, but nothing in this act shall be construed to permit an employer to use on-call time as a substitute for mandatory overtime.

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34:11-56a37. Collection of data relative to mandatory overtime prohibition, report

The Departments of Health and Senior Services, Human Services, and Law and Public Safety shall each collect data from all health care facilities which the respective department licenses, operates or regulates, as to the potential impact of the mandatory overtime prohibition on employee availability and other considerations, and shall jointly report their findings to the Senate and General Assembly Health Committees within 18 months of the date of enactment of this act.

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34:11-56a38. Rules, regulations

The Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Commissioners of Human Services and Labor, shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), within six months of the date of enactment of this act, to carry out the purposes of this act.

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N.J.A.C. 8:43E-8.1 et seq. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SENIOR SERVICES - MANDATORY OVERTIME REGULATIONS
SUBCHAPTER 8. MANDATORY OVERTIME

8:43E-8.1 Mandatory overtime; scope and general purpose

The procedures set forth in this subchapter apply to all health care facilities licensed in accordance with N.J.S.A. 26:2H-1 et seq., including a State or county psychiatric hospital, a State developmental center, or a health care service firm registered by the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety pursuant to N.J.S.A. 56:8-1.1 et seq. The rules set forth the standards and procedures governing the use by health care facilities of required overtime by hourly wage employees involved in direct patient care activities or clinical services in health care facilities.

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8:43E-8.2 Applicability

(a) The rules in this subchapter do not apply to the following:

1. Physicians;

2. Volunteers;

3. Employees who volunteer to work overtime;

4. Employees of assisted living facilities that are licensed in accordance with N.J.A.C. 8:36 and who receive room and board as a benefit of employment and reside at the facility on a full-time basis;

5. Employees who assume on-call duty;

6. Employees participating in a surgical or therapeutic interventional procedure that is in progress, when it would be detrimental to the patient if the employee left. However, in the case of elective procedures, the rules do apply if the procedure was scheduled such that the length of time ordinarily required to complete the procedure would exceed the end of the employee's scheduled shift; and

7. Employees not involved in direct patient care activities or clinical services.

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8:43E-8.3 Definitions

The following words and terms, as used in this subchapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

"Chronic short staffing" means a situation characterized by long standing vacancies in that portion of the facility's master staffing plan applicable to the work unit of an employee who files a complaint where such vacancies are the result of open positions that continually remain unfilled over a period of 90 days or more despite active recruitment efforts.

"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services.

"Department" means the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.

"Direct patient care activities" or "clinical services" means activities/services in which an employee provides direct service to patient/residents in a clinical setting, including the emergency department, inpatient bedside, operating room, other clinical specialty treatment area, or, in the case of a patient served by a home health care agency or health service firm, the individual's home.

"Employee" means an individual employed by a health care facility who is involved in direct patient care activities or clinical services and receives an hourly wage, but shall not include a physician.

"Employer" means an individual, partnership, association, corporation or person or group of persons acting directly or indirectly in the interest of a health care facility.

"Health care facility" means a health care facility licensed by the Department of Health and Senior Services pursuant to P.L. 1971, c.136 (N.J.S.A. 26:2H-1 et seq.), a State or county psychiatric hospital, a State developmental center, or a health care service firm registered by the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety pursuant to P.L. 1960, c.39 (N.J.S.A. 56:8-1 et seq.).

"Licenses" means the action taken by a State agency to license, certify, or register a health care facility subject to the jurisdiction of that State agency.

"On-call time" means time spent by an employee who is not currently working on the premises of the place of employment, but who is compensated for availability, or as a condition of employment has agreed to be available, to return to the premises of the place of employment on short notice if the need arises.

"Reasonable efforts" means that the employer shall:

1. Seek persons who volunteer to work extra time from all available qualified staff who are working at the time of the unforeseeable emergent circumstance;

2. Contact all qualified employees who have made themselves available to work extra time;

3. Seek the use of qualified per diem staff; and

4. Seek qualified personnel from a contracted temporary agency when such staff is permitted by law, regulation or applicable collective bargaining agreements.

"Unforeseeable emergent circumstance" means an unpredictable or unavoidable occurrence at unscheduled intervals relating to health care delivery that requires immediate action.

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8:43E-8.4 Purpose

The rules in this subchapter are intended to promote the health, safety, and welfare of patients, residents and clients of health care facilities as well as of certain hourly wage employees of those facilities through establishing rules implementing the statutory limitations on health care facilities' authority to require certain hourly wage employees, involved in direct patient care activities or clinical services, to work overtime.

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8:43E-8.5 Overtime procedures

(a) Except as provided for in (b) below, an employer shall not require an employee involved in direct patient care activities or clinical services to work in excess of an agreed to, predetermined and regularly scheduled daily work shift, not to exceed 40 hours per week. The acceptance by any employee of work in excess of this shall be strictly voluntary. The refusal of an employee to accept such overtime work shall not be grounds for discrimination, dismissal, discharge, or any other penalty or employment decision adverse to the employee.

(b) The requirements of (a) above shall not apply in the case of an unforeseeable emergent circumstance when:

1. The overtime is required only as a last resort, and is not used to fill vacancies resulting from chronic short staffing; and

2. The employer has exhausted reasonable efforts to obtain staffing. However, exhaustion of reasonable efforts shall not be required in the event of any declared national, State or municipal emergency or a disaster or other catastrophic event which substantially affects or increases the need for health care services or causes the facility to activate its emergency or disaster plan.

(c) In the event that an employer requires an employee to work overtime pursuant to (b) above, the employer shall provide the employee with necessary time, up to a maximum of one hour, which may be taken on or off the facility's premises, to arrange for the care of the employee's minor children, or elderly or disabled family members.

(d) On-call time shall not be construed to permit an employer to use on-call time as a substitute for mandatory overtime.

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8:43E-8.6 Records; dissemination of information

(a) An employer shall establish a system for keeping records of circumstances where employees are required to work in excess of an agreed to, predetermined and regularly scheduled daily work shift, or in excess of 40 hours per week. The records shall include, but not be limited to:

1. The employee's name and job title;

2. The name of the employee's work area or unit;

3. The date the overtime was worked, including start time;

4. The number of hours of overtime mandated;

5. The employee's daily work schedule for any week in which the employee is required to work excess time;

6. The reason why the overtime was necessary;

7. A description of the reasonable efforts that were exhausted prior to requiring overtime. This shall include:

i. The names of employees contacted to work voluntary overtime;

ii. A description of efforts to secure per diem staff; and

iii. A list of the temporary agencies contacted; and

8. The signature of individual authorizing the required mandatory overtime.

(b) An employer shall provide the employee with a copy of the documentation in accordance with the requirements set forth in (a) above upon requiring that the employee work overtime, except that the total number, rather than the names, of employees contacted in accordance with (a)7i above shall be provided.

(c) Records as set forth in (a) above shall be kept a period of two years.
(d) A facility shall post in a conspicuous place a notice prepared by the New Jersey Department of Labor concerning New Jersey Mandatory Overtime Restrictions for Health Care Facilities (N.J.S.A. 34:11-56a et seq.)

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8:43E-8.7 Enforcement and administrative penalties

(a) If the Commissioner of Labor determines that a facility has violated provisions of this subchapter, the Commissioner of Labor may issue sanctions in accordance with the wage and hour regulations contained at N.J.A.C. 12:56.

(b) In cases where the State agency that licenses the facility and/or Department of Labor requests additional information from a facility concerning mandatory overtime usage, the facility shall comply with this request within 10 working days. The State agency that requested the information from the facility may, at its discretion, grant an extension to this time frame if the facility can demonstrate good cause. Failure to provide these records shall result in the issuance of administrative penalties in accordance with N.J.A.C. 12:56- 1.2 and 8:43E-3.4(a)13.

(c) If the State agency that licenses a facility subject to this chapter determines through a survey or complaint investigation that the facility exhibits a pattern or practice of noncompliance with N.J.A.C. 8:43E-8.5, that State agency shall notify the Department of Labor of the violation. The Department of Labor may also share with State agencies that license facilities subject to this chapter any information it develops on Statewide and facility- specific trends, such as number of mandatory overtime complaints filed; the number of complaints found to be valid; the number of enforcement actions appealed; and the number of enforcement actions upheld.

(d) In the event a facility licensed by the Department fails to develop and implement the required recordkeeping in accordance with N.J.A.C. 8:43E-8.6 and the required policies and procedures in accordance with this section, the Department shall take enforcement action in accordance with the provisions of N.J.A.C. 8:43E-3.4(a)13.

(e) Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to relieve a facility of its obligation to comply with State licensure standards pertaining to minimum employee staffing levels.

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8:43E-8.8 Policies and procedures

(a) A facility shall develop, revise as necessary and implement policies and procedures for the purpose of training and educating staff on mandatory overtime. The policies and procedures shall include mandatory educational programs that address at least the following:

1. The conditions under which an employer can require mandatory overtime;

2. Overtime procedures;

3. Employee rights; and

4. Complaint procedures.

(b) A facility shall establish a staffing plan designed to facilitate compliance with the requirements of this subchapter.

1. The staffing plan shall include procedures to provide for replacement staff in the event of sickness, vacations, vacancies and other employee absences.

(c) Upon request, the staffing plan and all related policies and procedures shall be made available to the Department of Labor and/or the State agency that licenses the facility.

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8:43E-8.9 Discharge or discrimination against an employee making a complaint

An employer shall not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against an employee because such employee has made any complaint to his or her employer, including the employer's representative; to the Commissioner of Labor; or to the State agency that licenses the facility where the employee works that the employee has been required to work overtime in contravention to the provisions of this chapter.

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8:43E-8.10 Complaint system

(a) An employee covered by this subchapter shall have a right to file a complaint up to two years following the date of the assigned mandatory overtime if he or she believes the overtime was not in response to an unforeseen emergent circumstance, and/or required reasonable efforts were not exhausted, and/or he or she was not provided the allowed time to make arrangements for the care of family members. All such complaints shall be submitted to:

Labor Standards and Safety Enforcement Directorate
Division of Wage and Hour Compliance of the
Department of Labor
PO Box 389
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0389

1. If requested, records of such reports shall be made available upon request to the Department or to the Department of Law and Public Safety or to the Department of Human Services.

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8:43E-8.11 Protection of the right to collective bargaining

Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to impair or negate any employer-employee collective bargaining agreement or any other employer/employee contract in effect as of January 1, 2003 for licensed general hospitals and July 1, 2003 for all other facilities subject to these rules as set forth at N.J.A.C. 8:43E-8.1.

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8:43E-8.12 Data

A facility shall submit data related to the effects of prohibiting mandatory overtime in accordance with this chapter as well as data required to determine whether chronic staffing shortages exist, as the State agency which licenses the facility shall request from time to time directly from each facility.

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